The Miami Beach unit will have a different
architectural style from the Brazilian ones, with a
more modern and sleek look. The menu will have
a big variety of cocktails, including the traditional
caipirinha, which will come in many flavors. “The
menu will be 80% traditional dishes and 20%
new dishes adapted to local cuisine. These are
dishes created with our new public’s preferences
in mind”, he says. The main attractive of the
restaurant are its seafood dishes, in particular the
“moqueca cearense” and the “moqueca tropical”,
which made the franchise famous in Brazil. There
is also the famous International Shrimp, one of
the most sought-after dishes.
The businessman expects the Miami
restaurant to be the beginning of a massive
expansion in the United States. “We want to
open more restaurants in the city. Coming to
America is every Brazilian entrepreneur’s dream”,
he says. But getting there is not an easy feat.
“There are many challenges; I never thought
it would be this hard. It was a demanding and
expensive process, but despite all hardships, we
are very excited”.
The restaurant will be located in a historic
building, measuring about 2000 square meters.
Therefore, getting renovation and building
permits was one of the biggest challenges faced
during the enterprise. The investment reached
the sum of $10 millions, and the restaurant
will have 250 employees, of which some will
be hired in Miami, and some will come from
Brazilian units.